Articles by Caitlin Jans

5 Ways to Combat “Publishing Block”

Many writers talk about writer’s block, but for me that has never been an issue. What I have struggled with for the last 8 years is something I have started to call “publishing block”. What I mean by “publishing block”, is not an inability to write, but an inability to get published or a feeling…
Special Issue

The Most Common Mistakes New Authors Make When It Comes To Publishing

For the purpose of this article, I am defining new authors not as people new to writing, but as writers new to publishing their work. Publishing your work is a completely different beast than writing. There is some overlap between crafting a good query letter and crafting a good chapter, but it is insignificant in…
Special Issue

Letter From The Editors

Dear Readers, As some of you know Authors Publish is run by Caitlin Jans. She has been happily running Authors Publish for over five years now. Usually when something comes up her husband, Jacob Jans is able to take over. We are both writers who want to be able to help other writers navigate the…
Issue Two Hundred Sixty Three

Authors Publish Turns Five!

Authors Publish started five years ago today. To celebrate, I am going to share 5 of our most helpful Special Issue articles. Before I do that, I am going to talk a little bit about the journey Authors Publish and I have taken in the last five years. When I started Authors Publish, it was…
Special Issue

A New Way to Find Fee Free Markets

At Authors Publish we focus on giving more in depth reviews of literary journals, all fee free, of course. Although, if you submit frequently our listings will not be enough publications for you to submit to. Some authors send submissions to as many as 40 publications at once. Many of the literary journal listing services,…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty One Special Feature

The Extreme Writing Habits of 5 Famous Authors

I have long been fascinated by writing habits of authors. In part, because I don’t really have very many habits. I can write anywhere, under most circumstances. I do prefer a computer to paper and a pen, but that is only because I am a much faster typist. Although I have tried setting up ritualized…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Six Special Feature

Retreats, Conferences, and Week-Long Workshops: Which One is Right for You?

For a long time I wrote in the solitude of my room, alone and without a community. Slowly over time I started to branch out. I attended classes, workshops, and then retreats and conferences. I also earned a Masters of Fine Arts.  I think it is fair to say I have experienced a lot of…
Special Issue

How Poets Make a Living

At a garden party in Brooklyn years ago, someone stopped me, and asked me what I did. At the time I was in a Master’s of Fine Art program focusing on Poetry, I would graduate that spring with an MFA in Poetry. So I told the stranger that and he aksed “how do a poets…
Issue Two Hundred Twenty Special Feature

Ten Famous Authors Whose Work Was Initially Rejected

One of the ways I comfort myself when I face yet another rejection letter is to think about the “loads” of rejection letters J.K. Rowling received while she was attempting to publish Harry Potter. I also think of the five years Agatha Christie spent trying to get her first novel published.  I have not spent…
Issue Two Hundred Thirteen Special Feature

Eleven Ways to Boost Your Creativity

If you have writer’s block, this list should be extremely helpful. If you don’t have writer’s block, this list should be extremely helpful. If you don’t believe in writer’s block this list should be extremely helpful. I am a big believer in this quote by Pablo Picasso: “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you…
Special Issue

How To Evaluate A Publisher for Your Book

When you’re finally ready to submit your book for publication, it can be overwhelming. There are so many publishers out there. There is so much information about some of them and so little about others. How can you check the legitimacy of a publisher if you don’t know much about the industry? Even if a…
Special Issue

How to Get an Agent for Your Book

Most of the big 5 traditional publishers work with literary agents for most of their imprints. The same goes for some smaller presses. There are still wonderful publishers to submit to if you are going without an agent, but then your manuscript has to go through the dreaded slush pile. There are lots of arguments…
Special Issue

How to Read Like A Published Writer

I was a reader long before I was a writer. As a child I fell in love with books like The Balloon Tree, A Wrinkle in Time and Ramona Quimby, Age 8.  That love of books has never left me. When I was a teenager I remember being shocked by the fact that most of…
Issue Two Hundred Thirty Five Special Feature

The Three Habits of Successful Writers

Many writers have one or two of the following habits, but it is very rare to find writers that do all three of these things regularly, unless you are looking at a shelf at a bookstore or library. Almost all of the authors whose work is on that shelf, at some point in their life…
Special Issue

How To Plot A Novel

I often said that writers are of two types. There is the architect, which is one type. The architect, as if designing a building, lays out the entire novel at a time. He knows how many rooms there will be or what a roof will be made of or how high it will be, or…
Issue One Hundred Eighty Five Special Feature

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